


I feel your taste all the time we're apart

by Lunarium



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Planet, Chocolate, Getting Together, Inspired by Music, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sheithlentines 2020, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Character, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:54:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22808950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: There is a planet that not even Galra generals dare to tread, but it may be just the thing needed to rekindle a cooling relationship.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65
Collections: Sheithlentines 2020





	I feel your taste all the time we're apart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HedonistInk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedonistInk/gifts).



> Sheithlentine gift for HedonistInk! <3 
> 
> Many thanks to leandralena for looking this over! <3 
> 
> Parts of the songs "Savoy Truffle" and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by The Beatles inspired this fic.

“Will you take a look at that!” Lance exclaimed as their destination planet loomed ahead. 

“Whoa!” Hunk’s laughter bellowed through the radio. “That’s gotta be the largest unwrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolate ball I’ve ever seen!” 

“That’s what I was thinking!” 

“My scans show the planet’s cocoa density is much greater than the amount on Earth,” Pidge reported from her Lion. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the rivers are composed of just chocolate liquor!” 

“Rivers of pure chocolate liquor, mmm!” Hunk moaned contently. 

“Are you three going to keep talking about food?” Allura asked. A muffled noise could be heard through the radio that all three could only presume was Allura’s stomach rumbling. 

Lance laughed. “Hey Hunk, Pidge—do you think the mountains are made of nuts?”

“Hazelnut Mountain Range,” Pidge suggested with a coy little lift in her voice. 

“Nut Mountain,” Hunk giggled. 

“Don’t call it Nut Mountain!” 

“You’ll go nuts for _deez_ nuts!” 

And with that, Lance completely lost it. 

Exasperated sighs from Allura and Pidge could be heard. 

Meanwhile, Keith kept silent in the Black Lion. He did his own scan of the vicinity, not for how much chocolate was contained within the planet, though that information could potentially be useful beyond just for amusing trivia. The planet, as Krolia had debriefed Keith before they had embarked on the mission, was infamously known as a planet not even Galra would dare to enter. 

Keith needed to know why. Would he, being of Galra heritage, be placing himself in danger? Unfortunately, none of the Blade members could properly answer Keith to full satisfaction. 

“The air is not poisonous to Galra,” Kolivan had informed him. “Galra used to visit.” 

“But if they know I’m Galra…”

“You have none of a Galra appearance.” 

“Doesn’t matter,” Keith said as his shoulders tensed. “The planet regularly trades with neighboring galaxies. My heritage isn’t a secret. My identity as a Paladin of Voltron—”

“You will be fine,” Kolivan said sternly. “Just don’t allow your emotions to control you.” 

Back in the Black Lion, Keith sighed. He waited for the chatter to calm down enough before addressing Shiro over at the Atlas bridge. 

“How should we proceed, Shiro?” 

“All scans show no foul play,” Shiro reported back, as detached and professional as he has been since becoming Admiral of the Atlas. As much as Keith had been thrilled to see his best friend rise to such a position, the change that had taken over Shiro, drastic and sudden, didn’t go unnoticed. But Keith bit back the rise in his throat and listened. 

“No visitors seem to stay there long,” Coran’s voice boomed out, “but nothing’s showing hostility.” 

“Yeah, could be just some Willy Wonka bullshit scaring them off,” Lance chuckled.

The loudest snort came from the Yellow Lion. “You’re turning violet, Sendak!” 

The two goofballs, joined by Pidge this time, exploded into a mad cacophony of guffaws until Keith and Allura screamed at them to shut up. 

“We will need to investigate,” Shiro continued as if they hadn’t just been rudely interrupted. 

Red-faced, Keith debated for a moment before asking, “Will you join us?” 

A few moments passed in silence. “I…I suppose there is strength in numbers. There’s no reason why I would stay behind. I’ll meet you all in five after touchdown.” 

“Roger.”

⁂

The impression of stepping onto a world of pure chocolate did not dissipate once they entered the atmosphere of Planet O’bla-díi. Mountains gleamed with rich chocolatey layers, the tips with a hard exterior rock that could only be best compared to hazelnut. Rivers, thick and rich as if comprised of pure chocolate liquor, ran the length of the strange world. During their descent they passed a waterfall, and Keith was momentarily tempted to run his Lion past the thick cascading waters to see for himself if the waters were really just pure chocolate.

“Is anyone else getting hungry?” Hunk moaned. 

Keith bit his lower lip. While his appetite spanned over a healthy variety of food, the sight was a sugar overkill. Chocolate was the very last thing he wished to eat at that moment.

He was surprised to find green trees at all, and plenty of them, given the planet’s general umber appearance. Forests stretched the length of the city, all of the cacao variety not unlike those on Planet Earth. 

Noting the blinking lights signaling them where to land, they made for a vast open region wide enough to accept five Lions and an Atlas. A number of the native O’blan awaited them. The Black Lion lowered its head and opened its jaw door and Keith stepped out; he was immediately hit with the strong whiff of sweet chocolatey aroma in the air, the natural bitter coffee-like smell from the trees and sweeter smell wafting from the nearby factory. Be it from the forest, or the factory that was within walking distance, the smell of chocolate was everywhere, dense and enticing. He would be lying if he said that didn’t make him crave a little taste, sugar overkill be damned. 

His own thoughts echoed among the other paladins. Hunk and Pidge were screaming quotes from _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ to each other the entire way towards Keith. 

“Oh, this _is_ quite pleasant!” Allura voiced in a rue tone. “What I would give for a nice box of delicacies right now. Think they will hand us a souvenir—I mean, assuming they are truly guiltless?” 

Lance immediately pounced on the chance. “You’ll get nothing but the finest box of chocolates, courtesy of yours truly!”

“Never mind, I think my craving just passed…” Allura made a show of disgust but the little playful smirk and blush gave her away. 

Spotting Shiro a small distance away, Keith tried to catch his gaze; back at the Garrison, the two friends would have found this amusing, but now the Admiral simply stared ahead as if he alone was unaffected by the arousing smell of chocolate. 

The Desmon’s advisor greeted them. Their galactic-language translator caught most of their words, but the advisor’s native language still broke through: a series of rhythmic tongue clicks that was rather pleasing to the ears. 

Shiro did most of the talking, and Keith had resigned himself to defer the task over to him. He was their natural leader, and their previous clash months ago—even if it was with his clone—had hurt Keith upon reflection. 

The advisor took them on a tour down around the capital’s largest factory. The vicinity was so clean any of the paladins could just sweep down and scoop chocolate from the river to drink with their own hands, or they can sample from any of the chocolate statues that graced the winding marbled boardwalk (which, too, was edible. Tiles were easily replaceable, the paladins were informed.)

“Forget Willy Wonka!” Hunk cried out and laughed. He twirled around in place, arms outstretched and wore a face of awe. “This is ten times more amazing!” 

“Are cacao seeds the most ubiquitous vegetation on your planet?” Pidge asked as they followed the advisor, everyone in awe. “We couldn’t help but notice everything, even the water, is chocolate. You can see it up in space!” 

“Ah, yes,” the advisor said. “The seeds are indeed abundant in O’bla-díi. For much of our history we’ve harvested cacao for its benefits—everything from a marked improvement in brain function to keeping blood pressure low, protecting the heart, and improving blood flow—of course, especially if you do not saturate your chocolates with butter and sugars.”

“Yeah, I was going to comment on that,” Hunk said, a sample of the O’blan chocolates in hand. “This is different from what we have on Earth, but it’s so good.” 

The advisor nodded with a proud smile. “We take pride in our world’s supply of cocoa. We fortified our rivers with them so every drink would provide us with the natural antioxidants.”

Again Keith turned to Shiro, ready to toss in some comment about the tour when he was again taken aback by Shiro’s dry demeanor. Where was the Shiro he knew from his past? The one who would be fascinated with the culture and history of the O’blan people and their rich abundance of cacao seeds, the one who would try a sample of a tile, a statue, the rivers and make some frivolous comments to Keith all while remaining focused on the task at hand. 

Instead, now Shiro alone among the paladins walked as if in a shadow, studying the scenery with a scowl but saying nothing the entire time. While they were on an important investigation, it was typically Keith who was the most suspicious among the group, refusing to consume anything from the O’blan, and certain he was on high alert as Hunk and Pidge and certainly Lance were having a Field Day. 

Lance was especially taking every opportunity to win Allura’s good graces again, after that failed attempt from earlier, and Allura was back to only pretending to be exasperated by his tactics. Hunk and Pidge annoyed the two by exaggerating their own flirtations to such heightened degrees that Keith would have laughed had he not been so preoccupied over Shiro. 

It simply wasn’t fun to laugh at Hunk and Pidge making fun of Lance without a friend. And Shiro…Shiro wasn’t paying any attention to them, not to the teasing, the jokes, the comments, or to the fascination over the planet. He didn’t even bother to take in the beauty of the marbled steps right underneath his feet. Facing ahead he marched like some dutiful soldier here to collect information. 

“Hey…” Keith began, but Shiro kept looking ahead as if he hadn’t heard him.

Fine, then. 

_How much one stupid promotion has changed you_ , Keith found himself thinking, blood boiling, ready to just give up Shiro then and there—something he never thought he would do. He had promised to never walk away from Shiro his best friend, his—when a loud jingle suddenly filled the air and the advisor stopped immediately; the others followed suit. 

Facing the grand entrance, they watched as a small O’blan in a bright purple and neon green suit approached. Vibrant orange hair spiraled from either side of their trapezoid-shaped head, atop which was a giant purple top hat. The designs on the bowtie they wore reminded Keith so strongly of Liquorice allsorts that he would be shocked if the O’blan had never visited Earth at some point. 

“Our esteemed leader, the Desmon Molijo!” the advisor announced. 

Everyone bowed respectfully, and the Desmon stilled, mouth hung open in a gasp. Even the advisor’s face exploded into a deeper color. 

“What’re you doing?!” the Desmon laughed and waved their arms. “We bow at funerals and divorces! No such processions today!” 

“Oh! Deepest apologies, Desmon!” Allura said and struggled with how to show respect immediately. But the Desmon only kept laughing. 

“Do not bother yourself, Princess!” they said, voice bouncing cheerfully. “So, I hear there has been some concern about our confectionaries, is that right? Nothing better than to erase doubt right at the source. I’m here to collect two of you to come sample the chocolates at the factory.” 

“What?! Only two of us?” Lance whined. Allura glared at him. 

The Desmon laughed. “I’m afraid I cannot go handing out all of my chocolates to six ravenous Paladins of Voltron!” 

“I want to go!” Pidge said quickly as Hunk nodded eagerly. “I can analyze each sample to determine—”

“Shiro should go,” Allura quickly and loudly blurted out, drowning Pidge’s voice. “He’s our leader, and he was leading the investigation.” 

Shiro glanced at her, a little surprised at her sudden outburst, before blinking back to reality. “Yeah…yeah…that’ll be fine. I did wish to see the factory from inside, if that would be all right with you, Desmon.” 

Allura glared at Pidge and Hunk who suddenly took a step back. 

“Excellent!” the Desmon said. “You can bring one more.” 

“How about Keith?” Lance suggested with a little laugh. “Emo boy just standing there looking all grumpy. Maybe a few chocolates will turn that frown upside down!” 

Keith shot Lance daggers, but realizing that this way, he would be going in with Shiro, his attention snapped straight back to Shiro—his old friend was looking at him, but once their eyes met, Shiro averted his gaze. Was it Keith’s imagination, or had Shiro appeared apprehensive? 

“Ready?” Shiro asked Keith in a low voice as the gates to the Desmon’s factory swung wide open. 

_What have we to lose?_ Keith thought bitterly.

⁂

He was being very cold with Keith. He knew it, and he hated himself more and more, but Shiro didn’t know how to break the ice. The way his clone had treated Keith disturbed Shiro to no end; yet despite all that Keith stood at his side unwavering and dedicated. Shiro should have been touched—found it romantic, even—but not at the expense of Keith’s life. Finding Keith in the aftermath of the Voltron’s battle with one of Haggar’s acolytes had reminded Shiro just how easily he could lose him.

A scar reminding Shiro forever of what his clone had done was something he could live with, almost—it was the clone who had hurt Keith, not himself. But seeing Keith’s beaten and broken body, the blood pooling under his head, and realizing it was because of him, always him, _always him_ that Keith stuck out his neck for, endangered his life for…

Keith was willing and ready to die for him. 

Shaking himself from his troubled thoughts, Shiro realigned his attention back to the Desmon who was animatedly discussing the history of their grandiose factory as they waved their long-fingered hands. Shiro glimpsed at Keith, noting the scowl, pout, and crossed arms and he racked his brains for some silly comment to thaw the moment. But as the seconds ticked by and nothing came to mind, Shiro just fell silent, ever the dutiful and professional and _dull_ admiral. 

The Desmon took them inside and immediately they were hit with the intense smell of freshly made confections. A worker smiled at them as she passed them by, pushing a tray laden with fresh chocolate goods. 

Being one always willing to learn new things, Shiro didn’t mind for a tour of the chocolate-making process. Once the cacao beans were dried and taken into the factory, the Desmon explained as they led them through the process, the beans would be first laid onto a conveyor belt which would move them through a cleaning system, pulling them through sieves to sift out twigs, stones, and other debris. Next, a micronizer with a revolving drum heats the cacao beans to loosen their shells which then a winnower removes by pushing the beans through a series of screens. Any remaining shell pieces are then sucked away with a vacuum, and what remains are the bean nibs. Half of the content is fat, or cocoa butter. Grinding the nibs in another machine results in a river of molten chocolate, or chocolate liquor. Mixings of numerous ratios of liquor, butter, sugar, and milk powder yields variations of confectionaries, which they were lucky enough to witness during the tour. 

Shiro spotted a spark of interest in Keith’s eyes, and he had to smile, knowing how much Keith’s curiosity and thirst for learning was breaking through any feelings of rue. But once that little tour was over he was back to his old demeanor, closed off and pointedly avoiding Shiro. He too looked away, feeling slightly ashamed of himself. The entire time, he realized, he hadn’t said a word to Keith, his best friend. 

“And now for the sampling,” the Desmon said. They led Shiro and Keith to the back where their office was located. There, one of the O’blan had laid out selected chocolates for them, one each. Shiro and Keith sat side by side and examined the samples. 

“First one, a classic and a best seller: the cream tangerine,” the Desmon described as both Shiro and Keith picked their respective samples up. Shiro took it all in one bite. 

Instantly his mind reeled back to a memory: many years ago, autumn time, the smell of oranges and baked pies, visiting a school, a small teenage boy with a pout sitting alone and hunched in the back of a classroom, piercing violet eyes—

Shiro jolted back to the present. 

“It’s really good,” he said truthfully as he shook the memory back. “Very flavorful.” 

He glanced quickly at Keith, noting that his eyes had widened but otherwise he said nothing. He must have been taken aback by the intense flavor as well, Shiro reasoned. 

The Desmon smiled as they pushed the next pair of chocolates towards them. “ _Montilimart_.” 

A small rectangle of dark chocolate, brittle and more bitter and earthy than the previous with bits of chopped nuts, and Shiro’s mind instantly flew back to another moment— 

The scent of the earth’s dust and smoke kicking up to his nostrils as he embraced the young man before him. Revving engine of the space shuttle nearby roared in his ears. In moments he would board, and it would be years before he saw his best friend again. 

Keith would not ease up on his hold, would not let him go. With a comforting pat on the back, Shiro pulled back and regarded the wide, dark eyes, noting the glimmering tears. 

“Sorry, I’m likely to miss your graduation,” Shiro laughed. 

“You’ll be back in time,” Keith said. 

Sadness seeped into Shiro’s smile. “Keith, I don’t know what condition I’ll be in when—”

“No!” Keith said a lot more firmly. “ _You will be back._ Got it?”— 

Licking his lips, Shiro turned back to Keith, whose eyebrows were furrowed in deep concentration. 

The next chocolate piece was shaped as a heart, the center filling tasting of pineapple with a hint of ginger, and the burst of flavor brought him memories of sailing past rows of desert hills, his laughter echoing throughout the canyon as he called for Keith to catch up—

Another memory, of a sunset on a barren alien planet, arid air smelling faintly of coffee grounds, noiseless save for faraway grunts of lizard-creatures gnawing on remains of a kill. Rare wind blew through Keith’s hair as he reassured Shiro that he would be fine, as the wound on Shiro’s side seared with an even worse pain, and something burst then, deep within his chest—

— _“SHIRO!”_

_Feeling_ him, rather than _hearing_ him, reverberated in his very soul as Keith was thrown back into the Black Lion’s subconscious and right beside him, a feeling, a flavor experienced within, of both sudden warmth and coolness: deep and rich but also creamy and lactonic—

—Keith smiling down at him, arms protectively supporting his head, red and white comprising the majority of Shiro’s vision, like cherries and cream, and a beautiful smile to greet him back to the living—

Every sample brought with it a new memory, vibrant and so poignant that Shiro’s heart grew heavier with each bite. He could barely look at Keith, labored breath and all, for he became more focused on keeping his own body in check. 

Something in the delicacies were affecting him. His hands trembled. His body ached and yearned to touch that which he could only taste while they were apart…

Shaking, he dared a glimpse towards Keith; to his surprise, it was to find Keith looking as troubled as he felt: eyes wide, labored breath, shaking…sweating…

Rage fueled inside Shiro. Did the Desmon poison them? If they had in any way hurt Keith—

Before he could jump to his feet demanding answers, the Desmon pushed the final set of chocolates towards them. 

“The Se’voi Truffles,” the Desmon said simply, a coy smile on their lips. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid I’m needed elsewhere right now. This is the final sample. You may wait for me or leave at your leisure after this. I do hope you have had a wonderful time here.” 

With that the Desmon left. There wasn’t a window from which Shiro could watch them. Trapped inside four walls, a pair of chocolate delicacies, and two very affected paladins, Shiro had no other option but to address the elephant in the room.

“So…you’ve been feeling these effects too?” Shiro asked, finding his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried to appear nonchalant. 

Keith stared ahead. “They’re affecting you too. What are they, Shiro?” 

“I…I don’t know,” he chuckled calmly. “Think this is what was scaring off the other visitors before?” 

Keith frowned. “Think this is it? It’s making me…remember things. And…and…want things.” 

Shiro swallowed thickly. “Y-yeah. Want things.” 

“Is that what scared them? Wanting? Desiring?” 

“Desire can be scary, Keith.” 

“Yeah, tell me about it…” Keith shivered, and Shiro lips perked. “So…the final piece…not gonna kill us, you think?” 

Shiro shook his head. “I’m…feeling alright, all things considered.” 

Keith nodded. “This…is the most we’ve said to each other for the longest time.” 

Shiro mirrored Keith’s nod. “Yeah…” Clearing his throat again, he motioned towards the final pieces. “Shall we?”

Dropping the piece in Keith’s palm, they gave one another a smile and a toast before plopping the final chocolate truffle into their mouths. 

Shiro’s mind seared—and not just his mind, but every fiber of his existence suddenly awoke with a ferocious desire and clarity. Rushing through memories of Keith with such vivid detail—the scent of Keith’s hair, his skin, his smile, the way his voice brought an ache in Shiro’s chest, his gaze—that when the rush was over Shiro was physically gripping the table. His cock pressed painfully against the fabric of his pants, and each sound—Keith’s labored breathing, his scent, the white noise of the room—was keenly felt as the seconds ticked by.

“That..sure was something, eh?” Shiro asked, wondering if Keith could see his erection.

Keith swallowed and nodded. “Were you getting thoughts and a rush of feelings through you?” 

“I was.”

“It’s strange, isn’t it? Is there something in chocolate that makes us...you know? I mean, they give chocolates on dates...I...I wonder if that’s what the O’blan do...maybe that’s what they did…put these things to make us want…want to…”

“Want to fuck you to Kerberos and back?” 

Gasping, Keith leaned back, staring at Shiro, wide-eyed. A jolt of guilt pierced Shiro through his chest. 

“Sorry,” Shiro managed. “I-I spoke out of line, and—”

“Shiro…no, no, it’s okay—I!” 

Shiro opened his mouth, his heart hammering in his chest, but before a word could leave his lips, Keith’s lips slammed against his, stealing his breath and his heart. The impact sent Shiro against the wall, pinned by Keith. Stars burst before his eyes, and the corners of his lips quirked into a smile. One hand roamed up Keith’s arm, caressing the strong arm holding tightly to him. His cock throbbed with need, spurred by the taste and feel of Keith on his lips. 

“Keith,” Shiro moaned long and soft when they finally parted. Gripping tight to him, they both caught their breaths. 

“So, you were thinking of me too?” Keith said. 

“Of course,” Shiro stammered. “You’re always on my mind.” 

“Then why have you been ignoring me?” 

The words cut deep. Wincing, Shiro pulled Keith closer. He could never let him go—not this handsome and amazing man, not his Keith—but the memory of—

“When I dug you out of the Black Lion, I was so certain you were gone!”

“But I’m here now!” 

“Your scar. I was the reason you got hurt.” 

“It wasn’t you,” Keith said with a shake of his head. 

“All the same, I’m still capable of hurting you!”

“But I overpowered you in the end, didn’t I?” Nuzzling their noses together, Keith pressed their foreheads together before speaking softly to Shiro again. One hand traveled up his neck, fingers caressing his jawline. “All it took was three words to disarm you, and I can do it again.”

“Oh—!” Shiro gasped as those lips came for him again, felt Keith’s “I love you” against his skin, and melted into his kiss. Hunger, need, and a yearning born from absence drove the kiss into fevered frenzy. Shiro engulfed Keith in his large arms, rubbing their crotches together. Together they slid down to the carpeted floor, plush and just right should they—no, they were definitely about to—a quick touch told him Keith was wet, wet and desperate and very ready for him. 

“I need you,” Shiro panted against Keith’s ear, kissing right below. “Never, ever will I turn my back on you.” 

Keith’s eyes shone as he unfastened the buttons on Shiro’s coat.

⁂

The Desmon Molijo laughed in their little communication station.

“So, everything’s worked out?” Princess Allura asked from back aboard the Atlas along with the other paladins. 

“I have no doubt about that!” Coran said happily. “The Desmon is a genius!”

“You’re also a genius for figuring out a way of getting them together,” Hunk said. Pidge nodded. 

“So…did you drug them with the chocolates containing the most potent aphrodisiacs or something?” Lance asked. 

“The idea of chocolates containing aphrodisiac is, unfortunately, just a myth,” the Desmon said. “However, my team did craft chocolates specifically with textures, smells, and tastes that would invoke intense memories of one another—for, you see, there is no aphrodisiac more powerful than memory.”


End file.
